Review Integrity & Compliance Policy
SpeakReviews is built on authenticity, transparency, and fairness — fully aligned with the policies of every review platform we support.
Last updated: May 2026 | Version 2.0
1Our Commitment
SpeakReviews is built on a foundation of authenticity, transparency, and fairness. This document outlines how our platform operates in full compliance with the review policies of all supported platforms, the FTC's Consumer Review Fairness Act, and the ethical standards expected of review solicitation tools worldwide.
SpeakReviews is designed exclusively for use with open review platforms — those that allow any customer with a genuine experience to leave a public review without requiring a verified booking or purchase through a specific channel. This focus ensures our platform operates cleanly within the policies of every platform we support.
We believe that honest reviews benefit everyone — customers, businesses, and review platforms alike. Our role is to remove friction from the review process, never to manufacture, manipulate, or misrepresent the customer experience.
2How SpeakReviews Works
SpeakReviews is a voice-to-review platform that helps businesses make it easier for customers to share their genuine experience. Here is exactly how it works:
A customer notices a SpeakReviews table tent or display card at a business location. It features a QR code the customer may choose to scan — entirely at their own discretion. No staff member is required to prompt or pressure the customer.
If the customer chooses to scan, they are taken to a mobile experience where they can speak about their visit naturally, in their own words, as if telling a friend. The platform converts their spoken words into written text.
The customer reviews the drafted text, personalizes it if they wish, and then manually copies and pastes it to the business's chosen open review platform. The customer posts the review themselves. SpeakReviews never auto-posts on anyone's behalf.
3Supported Platforms — Open Review Platforms Only
SpeakReviews is designed exclusively for open review platforms — those where any member of the public with a genuine experience may leave a review without requiring a verified transaction through that specific platform.
| Platform | Review Policy | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Google Reviews | Open to any customer. Google provides official 'Get More Reviews' QR codes to businesses. | Supported |
| Trustpilot | Fully open platform. Anyone with a genuine experience can leave a review without an invitation. | Supported |
| Yelp | Open to any registered user with a genuine experience. | Supported |
| TripAdvisor | Open platform. Any traveler or customer may leave a review. | Supported |
| Facebook Reviews | Open to any Facebook user who has visited or interacted with a business. | Supported |
| Apple Maps | Open ratings available to any Apple device user. | Supported |
4Google Review Policy Compliance
Google is SpeakReviews' primary supported platform, representing 81% of all online reviews worldwide. SpeakReviews is fully aligned with Google's official review policies.
4.1 Solicitation is Permitted
Google's own Business Profile Help Center provides a dedicated 'Get More Reviews' short link for every business. Google formally documented review request links and QR codes as acceptable practices in December 2025. SpeakReviews operates as a direct extension of this officially sanctioned approach.
"The platform explicitly allows merchants to solicit or encourage the posting of content that represents a genuine experience, without offering incentives or attempting to influence the rating or the contents of the review."
— Google Business Profile review policy, 2025–2026
4.2 No Review Gating
Review gating occurs when a business pre-screens customers and only directs satisfied customers to leave public reviews, while routing unhappy customers to a private feedback form. This practice is explicitly prohibited by Google and all major review platforms. SpeakReviews does not engage in review gating. Every customer who scans the QR code is presented with the same experience regardless of their sentiment, star rating, or anticipated feedback. We do not filter, divert, or treat customers differently based on their rating.
4.3 No Incentivization
Google and all supported platforms prohibit offering discounts, gifts, money, or any other incentive in exchange for reviews. SpeakReviews does not provide, suggest, or facilitate any form of incentivized review collection. Our platform is a convenience tool only.
4.4 No Pressure or Coercion
Our table tent displays are passive — they invite, they do not demand. The QR code is visible to any customer who notices it. No staff script, no verbal pressure, and no mandatory interaction is required or recommended. A customer can walk past the display without any consequence.
4.5 No Auto-Posting
SpeakReviews never posts reviews on behalf of customers. The customer always reads, approves, and manually submits their own review to the business's chosen review platform. This preserves the authentic nature of the review and ensures it genuinely represents the customer's own experience and intent.
4.6 No Content Manipulation
SpeakReviews does not ask customers to mention specific employees, request a specific star rating, or include any predetermined content in their review. The draft text is generated solely from what the customer said in their own words. Customers are free to edit, shorten, rewrite, or discard the draft entirely.
Compliance Summary
| Practice | Platform Policy | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Asking customers to leave a review | Permitted by all supported platforms | Pass |
| QR code review prompts | Explicitly permitted by Google | Pass |
| Same experience for all customers | Required — no review gating | Pass |
| Incentivizing reviews | Prohibited by all platforms | Pass |
| Auto-posting reviews | Prohibited by all platforms | Pass |
| Requesting specific star ratings | Prohibited by all platforms | Pass |
| Requesting specific content/names | Prohibited by all platforms | Pass |
| Pressuring customers on-premises | Prohibited by all platforms | Pass |
| Restricting to open platforms only | Required for compliance | Pass |
5Trustpilot Compliance
Trustpilot is a fully open platform compatible with SpeakReviews. Trustpilot states: "Consumers can always leave a review for free, with or without an invitation. Our platform is so widely trusted precisely because consumers — not businesses — are ultimately in control of what gets posted."
SpeakReviews complies with Trustpilot's guidelines because:
- We do not incentivize reviews in any form
- We present the review opportunity equally to all customers
- The customer writes and submits their own review manually
- The review content is based solely on the customer's genuine spoken experience
- We do not auto-post or submit reviews on behalf of customers
6FTC Consumer Review Fairness Act Compliance
The FTC's Consumer Review Fairness Act prohibits businesses from suppressing honest reviews, penalizing customers for negative feedback, or using practices that prevent customers from sharing their genuine experience.
SpeakReviews is fully compliant with the FTC's requirements:
- We do not suppress, filter, or discourage negative reviews in any way
- We present the same review experience to all customers regardless of anticipated sentiment
- We do not penalize customers for leaving critical feedback
- We do not instruct businesses to hide or remove unfavorable reviews
7Industry Context
SpeakReviews operates in a well-established and widely accepted category of review solicitation tools. The following mainstream platforms actively solicit reviews from customers as standard business practice:
| Provides official 'Get More Reviews' short links and QR codes to every Google Business Profile holder | |
| Amazon | Sends post-purchase review reminder emails to buyers on behalf of sellers |
| Booking.com | Sends automated review request emails to guests approximately 48 hours after check-out |
| Airbnb | Prompts both hosts and guests to leave reviews after every completed booking |
| TripAdvisor | Provides review collection tools and widgets to hospitality businesses |
| Trustpilot | Encourages businesses to invite customers to leave reviews through automated invitation methods |
The distinction between compliant solicitation and prohibited manipulation is not whether reviews are requested — it is whether the solicitation is honest, unfiltered, and free of incentives or pressure. SpeakReviews meets this standard in full across all supported platforms.
8Guidance for SpeakReviews Subscribers
To maintain full compliance with all supported review platforms, we recommend that businesses using SpeakReviews follow these best practices:
- Display the SpeakReviews table tent or QR code passively — allow customers to notice it naturally
- Do not verbally pressure or repeatedly ask customers to scan the code
- Do not offer discounts, free items, or any reward in exchange for leaving a review
- Do not instruct customers to give a specific star rating or mention specific staff by name
- Allow all customers — satisfied or not — equal access to the same review experience
- Do not remove or hide negative reviews received through any channel
- Only direct customers to open review platforms listed in Section 3 of this document
Following these guidelines ensures your business remains fully compliant with Google's policies, Trustpilot's guidelines, the FTC's Consumer Review Fairness Act, and the terms of service of all supported review platforms.
9References
- Google Business Profile Help — Get reviews on Google
- Google Maps Contributed Content Policy
- Google Business Profile review policy 2025–2026
- Trustpilot Guidelines for Businesses — May 2025
- Trustpilot Guidelines for Reviewers — May 2025
- FTC Consumer Review Fairness Act
- FTC's 2024 Rule on Review Practices
- Yelp Content Guidelines
- TripAdvisor Review Standards